Emergent
by HannahRae123
Summary: When the Amity gates are opened, Tris finds herself on the run. To where? She doesn't know. All Tris has are the instructions Tobias has left her, and her dauntless instincts.
1. Chapter 1

Emergent: Chapter 1

During the time it took me to realize what was happening, Tobias grabbed my arm and yanked me out the door of the Erudite headquarters. His grip was firm, and I sensed no safety in his touch.

"Tris, you need to get out of here. All those people in there are going to be coming after you in just a few seconds. Now that they have someone to blame for…well, this," he gestured around at all the rubble left by ruined buildings. Smoke rose from a tower, and there was a screaming silence in my ears as I tried to comprehend what Tobias was saying. "You're going to get hurt."

Leave? What was he talking about? These people needed someone to help them. I couldn't just run away. What kind of Dauntless would I be if I displayed an act of cowardice at a time like this?

I stared up at Tobias. His face looked determined and rigid like the day I first met him. Like the person I thought he wasn't anymore. "I'm not just going to leave everyone here. They need me. I thought you needed me…"

He handed me a heavy orange backpack, its contents unknown to me.

"Go, Tris." Tobias broke his gaze and turned away from me, walking back to the pavilion.

"You don't have the right to tell me what to do! I know my duty to my family, to my faction, and especially to you. I thought we were past this. You know, the part where you stop treating me like a child! I don't want to be in this relationship anymore if it means that I still look like a helpless, little stiff to you, _Four_!"

His stride was much longer than mine so I had to sprint to keep up with him. I drove my fist into Tobias's back to get his attention, but I might as well have been punching a rock. All my anger flooded into that hit, all the hurt I'd been feeling since we'd fought.

My attention grabber worked. He stopped in his tracks to face me. Fresh tears had sprouted out of his eyes and were now flowing freely down his cheeks.

"You don't think this is hard for me too, _Beatrice_? I thought you would know me well enough by now to see that you are the reason for every decision I make. You are the only thing that I love in this world, and destroying you would kill me inside. Don't you remember what I said when you went to sacrifice yourself? If you die, I die too, remember? So do you want me to die Tris, is that what you really want?"

I stood on my tiptoes to become level with his face. I looked into his eyes and whispered, "I think you already know the answer," and gave him one quick kiss on the lips.

With that, I turned on my heel, jumped over the Amity gates, and sprinted into the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

Emergent: Chapter 2

I ran for as long as I could stand. I ran until my lungs ignited and my feet were bloody and blistered. I ran until the dizziness consumed me and started to replace the thoughts of Tobias.

I sat down on a large boulder, in a small clearing secluded by trees. There was a swift stream of water flowing downhill with birds swooping down to take a drink. The bottom of my jeans had turned a dark brown color due to several mud puddles I had had to run through.

I took off the backpack Tobias had given me and unzipped the first zipper. Inside the pouch were; matches, rope, around fifteen to twenty protein bars, and maybe half a gallon of water. The average survival kit.

I pulled out the water and drank every drop of it to stamp out the fire in my throat.

I unzipped the second zipper. I found two knives, one was obviously meant for food and the other as a weapon. Also in the pouch was a gun with three bullets in it, ready to shoot.

In the third pouch all I found was an envelope with a long note in it that said:

_Tris,_

_ By now you're probably looking at the contents of your bag and taking a rest stop. I've given you the supplies you'll need to survive on your own for a little while. In the smallest zipper pouch, where you found this note, there is a whistle. If you keep going straight, you should end up at a crossroads. This whistle is only to be blown when you meet the crossroads. I know there is more to this letter, but whatever you do, don't read ahead. You can continue reading once you get to the crossroads. Goodbye for now, and remember to be safe._

_ -Tobias_


	3. Chapter 3

Emergent: Chapter 3

Growing up an Abnegation made me believe that being selfless meant to only think of others. Sometimes this way of life still sticks with you, and other times it doesn't.

I was so tempted to keep reading the letter. Reading the note was like having him there with me. Holding my hand, or jumping on a train together. I realized, I'd never really been on my own before. I'd never been without people. And I'd never felt worse.

Trees were my only friends, and the insects my companions. I found myself whispering muddled things and pretending he was there to listen.

Three days.

Three days alone with no human in sight.

I could only imagine my appearance. My hair was probably matted and tangled and frizzy, sticking up all over my head. I could visibly see my shirt ripped and spattered with dirt. My mouth tasted like sand, or at least what I thought sand would taste like.

During those three days in the forest, I constantly thought of Tobias. But even more so, I thought about the

letter.

_What crossroads had he been talking about? Why had he told me not to read ahead? And most importantly,_

_ How did he know I would be in this situation?_


	4. Chapter 4

Emergent: Chapter 4

My first sign of hope came to me at the train tracks.

I was walking straight ahead like Tobias had told me to, when I came upon the steel rails. An ironic sense of safety washed over me when seeing those tracks and remembering all the times I had jumped on and off the moving vehicles. The first thing I noticed was that, unexpectedly, they didn't look at all rusted or worn. In fact, they looked pretty well polished as if someone had recently used them.

The second thing I noticed was how the two tracks intersected with each other like they did back at the Amity camp. Both metal strips crossed over each other, kind of like a crossroad.

Ding. I'm pretty sure that in that moment, an invisible light bulb hovered over my head.

Tobias hadn't meant an actual road. He meant the tracks. Tobias knew I would find them sooner or later and see the pattern. I made a mental note to thank him when he found me.

I set down the backpack and pulled out the whistle which felt ice cold in my hands. My fingers shook as I touched the object to my lips and blew as hard as I could.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then, all at once, a hand came over my mouth and dragged me into the forest.


	5. Chapter 5

Emergent: Chapter 5

"Be still," the voice ordered. Though the voice hinted irritation, it was soft and playful. There was almost a chuckle beneath the roughness.

I sat in a chair with a blindfold over my eyes and my hands tied behind my back. I didn't know where I was. The only thing I did know was that blowing the whistle had gotten me into this.

"Let me go! Let. Me. Go!" I said this as the voice untied my hands and freed me from sitting. I jumped up and ripped off the blindfold.

Staring back at me was a boy about seventeen years of age. His hair was light brown, his eyes blue. He was very tan and the contrast between the lightness of his eyes and the color of his skin made him an odd but handsome combination.

"I let you go." He said, holding his hands out as if to shrug.

We were in a room made completely out of wood. I guess you could call it a house, but that didn't seem like the right word for it. There was a small kitchen with a sink and washer. We were standing in the living room, I guess. There was only a couch and rug, and I wasn't really sure if that qualified as the main part of the house.

Then he did the thing I least expected him to.

He laughed.

"You should have seen the way you struggled! You were throwing punches and flailing your arms around! You did actually kick me once though. That'll leave a nice bruise." He lifted up his pant leg and pointed at his shin which was now turning a dark purple color.

All I could do was stare at him at first with my arms crossed. Soon, he crossed his arms also. And when I tapped my foot in frustration, he mimicked the motion.

"Are you copying me?!" I exclaimed.

"Are you copying me?!" He repeated.

"Quit it!" I yelled.

"Quit it!" He yelled back in a high-pitched tone.

"What is wrong with you? You blindfold me, tie me to a chair, and now you're messing with me? What do you want?" I shouted.

"You blew the whistle."

"So?"

He raised his eyebrows, "Hey, you're the one who blew it, not me. So what is it that you want exactly?"

"I'm not sure really, I was only following the instructions in a note."

A shocked expression latched onto his features. Then his lips curled into a smile. "Beatrice?"

In a split second, before I even knew it was happening, his arms wound around my neck forming a tight embrace.


	6. Chapter 6

Emergent: Chapter 6

What happened next, wasn't entirely my fault. It was like my fist had a mind of its own by now. It was just following its dauntless instincts by slamming into the guy's face.

"Ouch, God, what the! I am never hugging you again, do you hear me?" He yelled. "I think you shoved my nose into my forehead, Beatrice!"

"Oh gosh, I am so sorry! Here." I grabbed the nearest thing I could find which happened to be a dish towel and put it up to his nostrils which were gushing blood.

"Is that what you normally do when people touch you or is it only reserved for hugs?"

"Um, not usually but, you know, a random stranger, running straight at you, it might be the time for protective instincts." I said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I guess it's my fault. Sorry, it's just, now that I know who you are, I couldn't help it." He stared down at his shoes.

"And, um, how do you know who I am, exactly?" I questioned.

This was odd. Him knowing my name made me feel kind of invaded and vulnerable inside. We had never even spoken before so how could he know who I was?

His eyes brightened. "I've heard so much about you. Aunt Edith used to tell me stories about you as a child. What you looked like and where you went to school. Just little things that happened throughout your life like losing a tooth or getting good grades."

"I don't get it. Why do you care so much about my life, though?"

"I thought you would've already guessed by now. Beatrice Prior, allow me to introduce myself," He reached out to shake my hand and said, "My name is Asher Prior, your cousin."


	7. Chapter 7

Emergent: Chapter 7

I let the information sink in, the new feeling settled onto my skin and I could feel the absence of a family member being filled.

"So I have an aunt? Is she my mom's sister or my dad's? What does she look like? When can I meet her?" The questions flew out of my mouth so quickly that I didn't see the expression on Asher's face.

"She _was _your dad's sister. Both my parents passed away when I was very young."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I didn't know them at all. It's kind of hard to miss someone when you can't remember them."

I wanted to say something to Asher. I wanted to wipe the sadness away from his eyes. But I had no idea how to form the right words.

"How many of you are there?" I asked, trying to break the silence.

He replied with, "In the village? Maybe two or three hundred."

"So you've all just been sitting around and watching us to see what we'd do, like some little science experiment?" I started to get angry. This type of _"Quest for knowledge" _thing is exactly what had gotten us all into the war. I thought of Erudite. This was their type of thinking. Not mine. "Do you have any idea what this has done to me? I've watched families be torn apart because of this! And you people sit idly by for years watching it happen and do nothing!" I sunk down on my knees and sobbed. For the first time through the whole ordeal, I was crying. A new word entered into my mind. Orphan.

Orphan meant not only to be without parents, but to be alone; utterly and completely lost with no one around. Abandonment. Shame. Guilt. These terms floated around my head and repeated themselves over and over again.

"Beatrice, you're not just some experiment. We did what we thought was best for humanity. We did what we could to start over."

"I just thought there might've been a better way." I stood up and wiped the tears off my face with the back of my hand. Crying made me feel better. It let all the emotion I had been holding in vanish.

Asher and I both turned our eyes to the floor. "So, what else do you know about me?" I asked, finally.

"Well, when you and Toby got together, he wouldn't shut up about you-"

"Wait, hold up. Did you just say Toby? As in Tobias?"

"Um, yeah. Sorry. I forgot you didn't know that part."

Through clenched teeth I growled, "Know what part?"

"When Marcus left us to take a government position and join the Abnegation, we took it as an opportunity to keep in contact with the people in the society and find out what was going on. Toby was sort of like a spy, I guess. But in a good way. He kept us up to date on what was going on in the society, and from what he told us, things are going pretty well. The only reason we didn't get in on the fun was because Marcus made a law that we couldn't fraternize with society members."

"Why are you doing what Marcus tells you to do?"

"He's our leader. Shouldn't we do what he says?"

Marcus. The power hungry government leader. Marcus. I should have seen it before. Marcus. It was all clear to me now.

"No you shouldn't! Marcus is nothing but a lying, power-hungry dictator! He abused Tobias as a child to get him to not tell you what was really going on in the society. He whipped Tobias every day to keep the truth from you. There is a war happening this very instant! Erudite tried to take over all the factions and rule us all! Your entire village was blinded because Tobias couldn't tell you anything from fear of being beaten!" I screamed.

Asher pondered this for a few minutes. "You might be right, Beatrice. But I need more proof. Let's just sleep on this tonight okay? Plus I think it's time you met your family."


	8. Chapter 8

Emergent: Chapter 8

Asher and I walked through the woods on a slim dirt trail. We discussed happenings in the village and outside the village, what life was like in the village and outside the village, but mostly we talked about Tobias.

"Toby and I grew up together. He was more like a brother than a friend really. We were born exactly a year apart, you know. March 17th." Asher told me.

"No, I didn't know that." Part of me was jealous of Asher. He had gotten to have a deep and personal relationship with Tobias from an early age.

Another part of me was angry at Tobias. He hadn't bothered telling me any of this. Me. His girlfriend. The person he trusted most in the world. The person he loved. Doubt started crawling its way up my neck.

"And when Toby told me that you and he were together I didn't know what to think. It was so odd that my cousin and my best friend were dating, but I was really happy for him too. Tobias had always seemed very aloof from everyone else. Even me. But it was like, when you came into his life, he found something to live for." Asher turned to face me, and his eyes had a depth I hadn't noticed before. "You gave him a home, Tris."

I didn't know how to respond to Asher. So we just walked in silence the rest of the way.

When we arrived at the village, I was speechless. There were thousands of little houses made out of wood like the ones I had met Asher in, but they lined up in a large almost bowl-like crater.

Then Asher said, "Well, here it is. These are our cabins and this is the valley. It gives us lots of insulation during the cold months, and we get most of our food from the fields or animals in the forest."

The valley was beautiful. All the birds in the forest and clouds in the sky made the view even more breathtaking. We never had anything like this in the faction compounds. Once again I felt absent.

"Which one's yours?" I asked.

"Of the cabins? It's near the middle. We can go there now if you want. Race you!"

Asher took off towards the valley, kicking snow in my face during the process. I easily sprinted ahead of him due to my Dauntless training.

I must have really gotten into the run though because when I stopped to take a breather, I found myself in the middle of crowd with no sign of Asher anywhere. People called out from behind stands with piles of different items on them. One person had several meat products, another clothes. They seemed to be trying to get my attention so I walked over to the loudest man I heard.

"Hello Miss. What'll it be today?"

"I'm not really sure where I am. What exactly is this?" I gestured around me.

"Well, this is the marketplace and my name is Butch. What's yours?" He said with a smile.

Butch was a large man with a large beard and large hands. He had a small pair of eyes and a slight nose that wiggled when he spoke. His hair was all gray with slight strands of white poking out. But the only thing you need to know about Butch was that he was extraordinarily kind. Not just to people but to everything. To animals and children and the elderly and inanimate objects like property. Butch lived with the philosophy that if you surround people with enough love, it would create an impenetrable bubble around them, so when the ways of the world hit them, Butch's love would protect them.

"Tris," I replied.

Butch looked back at me with eyes full of warmth. "That's a beautiful name. What part of the village do you live in? I haven't seen you around before." That smile never left his lips.

I probably shouldn't have been telling a large man who I've never met before my whereabouts, but Butch was different. I know my mother would be shunning me right now if she were here.

"I'm just visiting. My cou- _friend,_ Asher, is who I'm staying with."

I didn't know how safe it would be to tell people Asher was my cousin.

"Oh, _friend _eh? You're a pretty girl, Asher's a handsome boy. You sure you're just friends? It's about time Asher found a lady. Every time I bother him about it he tells me he's 'just waiting', whatever that means."

"No no no no no. You've got it all wrong. Just friends. I promise."

"Well alright. The Priors live just up the street."

"Thank you!" I said, sprinting towards the wooden cottage on the top of the hill.


	9. Chapter 9

Emergent: Chapter 9

The cabin wasn't much. From the outside I could see wooden steps leading up to a screen door and porch. Plants I'd never seen before sat on the concrete, staring up at me with leafy eyes.

_Come on Tris, you can do this._

I tried to encourage myself with empty words. The warm hand of fear started to trail its way up to my neck, making me sweat. I didn't know these people. I didn't know they existed until a few days ago. I didn't know I had a _family._

Something about that word made me shiver, and I realize that I didn't even know what family means.

I know what it meant to my dad; sacrifice, hard work, and loyalty.

I know that to my mom it meant love and care and sympathy towards one another.

I know Tobias thought it meant safety and diligence and protection.

But what did it mean to me? How could I possibly know what family means when the only one I ever knew was a lie? I felt my mind replaying moments of my childhood; my dad reading by the fire, my mother's needles clicking, my face in the mirror surprised to see that I hadn't changed at all since the last time I looked three months ago.

I guess that's the beauty when you don't know what something means. You get to spend the rest of your life trying to figure it out.

I balled my fist and tapped my knuckles on the door louder than I wanted to.

A little girl about the age of five reached for the handle and opened the screen. Her black hair was very thick and long.

"Yes?" She said this in a high voice that was so adorable I almost laughed. Looking up at me from that angle I noticed she had deep green eyes with silver specks around the rim. The most beautiful I had ever seen.

"Is anyone home with you?" I asked.

The girl then turned away from me and bounded down the hallway. For a moment I thought she left me alone with nothing but the plants to keep me company, but she soon returned with a young man in his early twenties. He also had black hair and the same eyes as the girl. I wouldn't have been scared of him in the slightest if it weren't for his size. He towered over me, nearly a foot and a half.

I manage to squeak out, "Hi, I'm a friend of Asher's and I was wondering if any of his family members were here. I wanted to ask them a few questions."

The man and girl stared at me a while, until he finally realized I was getting self conscious. Finally he spoke, "I'm Flint and this is Elody. We're Asher's siblings. I've never seen you before though."

He gave me a skeptical gaze that ran right through me.

_More cousins. I had more family._

"Yeah, he probably doesn't talk about me much. We just met kind of recently."

"Okay, so what did you want to ask us?"

My mind went blank. _These people don't know I'm their cousin. They'll think I'm crazy if I blurt it out now._

Right then, Asher ran up to me his face all red and mouth panting.

"I…didn't…know where you went!" He said this between pants. He seemed exhausted like he'd been running for hours even though it had only been ten minutes. All the while he was smiling. "I see you've met my family." Asher gestured towards Flint and Elody.

Then Flint said, "Asher, how do you know this girl?"

Asher looked at me. "You didn't tell them yet?"

"I didn't know how to say it," I blushed. He gave me an exasperated look.

"This is Tris. She's part of the family."


	10. Chapter 10

Emergent: Chapter 10

Asher gently took my hand in his while Elody ran up to me giggling and shrieking. She wrapped her arms around my waist and shouted, "Trissy! Trissy! I've been waiting for you!"

I never really had any experience with children except for the time when I went with my mother to the nursery. The babies there loved to cry. I remembered waiting in the hallway to leave because I couldn't handle the sound. Elody was nowhere near that age anymore, but it still made me feel uncomfortable.

Flint just looked at me, said, "Welcome home," and walked back into the house, slamming the screen door. I looked at Asher with my eyebrows raised.

"Don't worry about it. Flint will warm up to you in no time. He's just a little jealous."

"Of me? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? You got to grow up in the society. You got an opportunity none of us here in the village ever had."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be…," I muttered under my breath. Asher didn't hear.

"Come on, I'll show you around the house." Asher said. He took my hand and led me into the small living room that contained a rug, lawn chairs, and a couch with a window on one side. To the right was a narrow hallway and Asher made me laugh by having to duck because he was so tall and the ceiling so low.

He showed me his room, painted blue with a bed that could just barely fit his size. There was a closet, a fan, and a lamp. That was all. I of all people understood deprivations.

Next, he brought me into Elody's room which assaulted my eyes with splashes of pink on the walls. It looked like a rainbow had thrown up on the place leaving behind magical sparkles and mystical creatures. She was playing with two figure horses on the middle of the floor and giggling.

Asher whispered, "We better go before she notices you, she'll suck you into playing ponies for hours."

He didn't show me Flint's room which I had expected and didn't bother me that much.

We went into the back yard and I was amazed at how beautiful the flowers were. They were all organized in gorgeous patterns and the grass was trimmed perfectly. I reached down to touch one of the white flowers.

"No! Don't touch those! Flint worked really hard to arrange them just right!" Asher screeched.

I snorted and looked back at him saying, "Flint gardens?"

"Damn right I do. Keep your paws off my daisies." Flint said, walking out of the house and into the backyard.

"Oh, sorry."

Then he took to plowing a patch of dirt and planting tomatoes.

"Asher," Flint said, "did you finish doing the laundry?"

"No, but-"

Flint cut him off, "Those clothes need to be clean by tonight."

"Um, would you mind if first I got Tris something else to wear?" Then he looked at me and said, "No offense, but you are kind of disgusting."

I looked down at my ripped, mud-spattered shirt and frayed jeans. My shoes were worn to the sole and I could only imagine what my hair looked like.

"Okay, but make it quick." Flint growled.


	11. Chapter 11

Emergent: Chapter Eleven

First, Asher took me to the bathing house which had two rooms separated by a brick wall. One for men, and one for women. Now, saying that it was awkward would be an understatement. There were all types of women there; short, tall, fat, skinny, and they had no problem showing off their "natural beauty" (if you know what I mean).

I wasn't as comfortable with my body as they were so I undressed myself and grabbed a towel as fast as I could to cover myself. Then I went to the nearest, unoccupied bathing pool and got in as quickly as I could, hoping that no one would see me.

My first mistake was bathing too slowly; because another girl and her friends hopped right in with me. I made sure to go lower in the water and hide my tattoos. I wasn't sure if they had those here in the village.

A tall girl with freckles and and dark brown hair said, "Hi, my name is Cassie. I don't think I've seen you around here before."

I responded with, "I'm just staying for a little while with my friend, Asher. My name is Tris."

She reached out her hand to shake mine and said, "It's nice to meet you Tris! But, can I ask you something?"

"Um, okay."

"Are you and Asher together?"

"No, we're just friends." I said, kind of upset that everyone thought we were together.

"Oh, thank God," she said, clutching her chest. "For a second there, I thought you had stolen my man." She laughed.

"But Asher said he wasn't dating anyone," I said.

"Oh, he's not. But everyone knows that he's in love with me. He's just too embarrassed to say anything. Right girls," she looked at her friends who had just been watching the conversation unfold.

"Oh, yes, of course!" They both said at the same time.

Eventually coming to the conclusion that I didn't want any part of these girls, I said, "Well, it's been nice meeting with you, but I need to get back to Asher's cabin, so…"

I reached for my towel, but it wasn't there. I realized I would have to get up and go get another towel, exposing my tattoos and more importantly, my nakedness. _Okay Tris, you can do this. Just get up normally and maybe they won't notice._

I walked up the pool stairs, but before I even got to the top, Cassie gasped. _Damn it._

She said, "Oh my goodness! Tris, I love your tattoo! Did you get it done at Filligrini's place? I heard he does the best designs."

"Yes, yes, that's where I got it. Gotta love ol' Filligrini, right?" I sprinted towards the towel racks.


	12. Chapter 12

Emergent: Chapter 12

When we got to the market, I saw Butch and waved. He noticed Asher next to me and winked.

"What's that about?" Asher asked.

"Butch thinks we're dating and I tried to explain to him that we were just friends but he wasn't buying it."

Asher laughed out loud, "I wouldn't date you in a million years even if you weren't my cousin!"

I socked him in the arm. Not hard enough to break it, but hard enough so he would know I was peeved.

"Thanks," I said.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just, you're not my type."  
"Oh yeah? Then what is your 'type'?" I said sarcastically.

He thought about it for a moment and said, "Taller, tanner, less-violent. A girl with green eyes and a soft smile. Someone I could spend the rest of my life with and never want anyone else…"

Asher's gaze shifted to a girl of about my age sitting on her porch reading a book entitled "Faction Life" by Markus Eaton. My internal groan was so loud I was sure the girl reading the book could hear it. Asher smiled when he saw her and blushed when she looked up at him.

I nudged him in the rib cage and said, "Someone like her?"

"Well, yeah, I guess if I had to choose right now. And her name is Alex by the way."

"Oh, okay," I said, raising my hands in mock surrender.

"Shut up."

We walked in silence down to the clothing stores which were just below the produce section. The first store was entitled _Shoes and Other Things for your Feet._ We went in and saw several boxes labeled with different sizes and packaging numbers. I ran my fingers along the edges of the cardboard.

"So what did you have in mind?" Asher asked me.

"I don't know," I said, "Just another pair of these." I looked down at my worn out sneakers that were filled with holes.

Asher sighed, "Tris, we don't make shoes like that here."

"Oh."

"Our shoes kind of work in seasons. In this season we have, well, boots and, uh, boots. They're good for running and they keep your feet warm at the same time. Oh yeah, and we also have shoes for the Winter Festival."

"What's the Winter Festival?" I asked this though I wasn't really paying attention but focusing on a pair of white one-inch heels with bows on the toe.

"It's like a formal ball where the guys ask the girls and you dance and say proper things to impress proper people but I like it just because I get to show off my awesome moves," he started doing the sprinkler and I cracked up. Then Asher asked, "See anything you like?"

"Yes," I said, "I like these."

He saw me point at the dainty shoes that I was strangely drawn to. It's always good to try something different, or in this case, girly.

"Okay. We can get those and a pair of sturdy boots just for strolling around in."

Asher pulled out a wad of what looked like money and handed it to the man behind the desk.

"Where did you get all that?" I asked.

"Well, Flint gives me allowance every week for doing my chores, and the rest of it is from running races." He handed me a bag filled with the slippers and told me to put on the boots which were both comfortable and sturdy. I threw away the old pair on the way out.

The next shop sold mainly women's clothing. There were three isles (small, medium, and large) that were sorted by color. I went down the small isle and picked out a pair of white, skinny jeans and a tight black v-neck shirt that showed off my birds perfectly.

When I walked out of the stall, Asher said, "Woah, I didn't know you had a tattoo."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me." I winked at him.

I bought three more shirts like that and two more pairs of jeans. I thought we were done shopping, but Asher stopped me when I headed back towards the cabin. "Wait," he said, "follow me."

Asher took me around the corner and down a little alleyway. At the end of the alley there was a little door with a sign that said "Open". He turned the handle and I found myself in a little dress shop. Although, little wasn't really the word. There were rows and rows of dresses, and when you were done looking through those, there was another story.

"You can't go to the Winter Festival in jeans and a t-shirt." Asher said.

"Asher, you know I'm not staying that long."

"But, why?"

I knew Asher wanted me around, as I did him, but my home was with Tobias. So much had happened in the last day that I had completely forgotten about the note he had given me. Tobias told me to read the second half when I had gotten to the crossroads. Obviously, I was a little preoccupied. I decided to read the rest when I got back to the cabin.

For the first time, I lied to my cousin, "Because, Tobias said he would come find me when it was safe." I really had no idea if he was coming to find me or if he wanted me to come back on my own. Or maybe never come back. I tried to push that thought out of my mind.

"Exactly. When it was _safe. _That could be months from now. The Winter Festival is only a week away."

Realizing I had been beaten, I said, "Fine."

I looked through hundreds of dresses that were all beautiful and unique, but didn't quite fit me. Each time I tried on a new one, Asher would tell me what was wrong with it; this one's too short, this one's too long, too colorful, too girly, too sexy, too reserved.

It was almost night time and we needed to get back so Asher could do the laundry. Just as we were about to walk out of the shop empty handed, the old man behind the desk said, "Wait."

We watched him hobble around the corner and go to the back of the shop. He walked into a room that said "Don't enter unless authorized", and pulled out a dress that was almost too beautiful, and exactly my size.

The man said, "My daughter wore this to her first Winter Festival. I don't think she'd mind if you borrowed it for a night. Go try it on."

I already knew it would fit perfectly, but I humored him. I walked out of the changing stall and Asher said, "Wow. Tobias would be so jealous right now."

"What? No criticism?" I asked sarcastically.

Asher smiled, "Not this time, Tris."

Sadly, I soon had to take the dress off and put it back in the plastic protection bag.

I held the dress carefully and Asher said, "How much?"

"It's on the house. Just make sure you return it afterwards," The man said.

"Thank you for everything," I said as we left the shop.


	13. Chapter 13

Emergent: Chapter 13

Asher got the laundry done just in time. And so began the most awkward dinner of my life.

Flint had prepared a roasted some-kind-of meat thing which was incredibly delicious but I had my doubts. Everyone was silent until Elody broke the silence, "Trissy, could you come and play ponies with me after dinner?"

I smiled and started to speak, but Flint cut me off.

He gave her a stern look and said, "Elody, Tris is obviously exhausted and would like to sleep as should you."

Elody's lip started to tremble. I wanted so badly to comfort her but I also wasn't too keen on the idea of pissing Flint off, so I stayed silent.

Thank God she didn't start to cry or else I would have felt even worse. All she did was look down at her lap.

Asher changed the subject, "So, how was your day, Flint?"

He responded with, "Did some gardening, took Glen out for a walk, and closed up the bookstore. How was yours?"

"I took Tris to get cleaned up at the bathing house, then we got her some shoes, clothes, and a dress for the Winter Festival."

"How much did that cost?" Flint looked up and the room grew cold.

Asher kept his gaze down, "None of your business."

"Damn right it's my business if you're spending my money." Flint slammed his fist on the table and the silverware rattled. Elody got up and went to her room. Flint ignored her.

Asher yelled, "I wasn't spending your money! Okay?"

"Excuse me?" Flint looked more mad than surprised.

Asher didn't respond.

Flint exclaimed, "Asher, have you been racing again?"

Asher whispered, "I'm good, Flint."

Flint yelled, "I don't care how good you are. Your job is to focus on your studies, not go off and play superstar. How are we going to keep Elody fed if you can't get a good education and a well-paying job?"

"Do you know how much money I made this week?"

"I don't care how much money you made this week, Asher. I care that you disobeyed me."

"Do you know how much money?" Asher whispered.

"No, I don't." Flint said.

"$700.00 and there is so much more where that came from. That could pay for half of our rent and just by running a race."

"I don't want to hear this anymore. No more racing. Period. The discussion has ended and from now on all you will do is study."

Asher got up, put his plate in the sink and went to his room.

Now just Flint and I were left at the table.

I looked at the creases under his eyes. I couldn't even imagine what it must have been like to raise your siblings all your life. He was handsome, but I don't think he either knew nor cared.

I got up and took my plate and Elody's away and put them in the sink.


End file.
